cirles wrote:Hi Guys,
New to reloading so 1st batch. Have loaded 50, 6.5 Creedmoor 140gr ammo (Lapua cases, Berger VLD Target projectiles). Watched a video on youtube
IMHO this thread, although very informative has become way too technical for a newby.
All he needs to know is how to measure the distance the bullet is of the lands & the when it is touching.
(COAL) And
I used a cleaning rod initially but was never convinced it was very accurate. I found these instructions a while back & found they work well.
I do 5 or 6 and come up with an average but have difficulty seeing the marks left on the projectile. A candle will leave soot on the projectile & may be better than a marker. To improve this accuracy make or buy a bullet comparator. In another thread i sjow how i mafe one. Sugest you srsrch DIY comparator.
There are several ways to measure the seating depth of your bullet for your rifle. The most accurate way is through the use of a specialized seating depth tool. Another way to measure seating depth only requires a fired case, a bullet, a marker, and a set of calipers. The ogive or curved part of the bullet is the part that first
makes contact with the lands, so measuring with a bullet and fired case will only give you a measurement that is useful for bullets of the same shape.
Different bullets and bullets of different weights will have different ogive shapes, so keep this in mind when measuring and using your seating depth. If you change bullets, you will need to re-measure your seating depth with the new bullet.
Starting with a fired case, insert a bullet into the neck with your fingers. The bullet should freely slide into the case with little to no resistance. Next, lightly press the neck of the case against a hard surface to slightly dent the case mouth enough that it will grasp the bullet. Now, color the entire shank of the
bullet with a black felt-tip marker. Insert the base of the bullet into the case just enough that it is held by neck tension. Now, carefully insert the round into the camber of your rifle and close the bolt, but do not pull the trigger. (spme suggest you shoul remove the firing pin, but i dont) As you close the bolt, the bullet will contact the lands and be pushed back into the case.
Open the bolt and carefully withdraw the case and bullet. The bullet may still be in the case, (if it is at this point I measure the overall length with a vernier caliper & repeat a few times) or it may be stuck in the barrel. If it is still in the barrel, remove it by either tapping the butt of the rifle against the bench or the ground, or push the bullet gently out with a cleaning rod. The ink on the bullet will be scraped off to the point at which the bullet wasn’t pushed into the case any further. Re-insert the bullet in the case up to the point where the ink was scraped off and measure the cartridge overall length with your calipers. This is your rifle’s seating depth with that particular bullet. Repeat the procedure several times to get a more accurate average. Now, when you want to load bullets a certain distance off of the lands, simply subtract the desired amount of “jump” from the seating depth to get the desired overall length. For example: Rifle’s
Seating depth = 3.430 Desired “jump” to lands= .015 Load cartridges to an OAL of 3.415